Chapter 214: Powerhouses Emerge, Heavy Pupils!
After continuously plundering several forces, Shi Jian gathered many Saint Medicines and even Half-Divine Medicines. However, the commotion he caused was too great, alarming everyone in the Immortal Ancient. By the time he arrived at some ancient cities, they had already emptied their mansions.
In desperation, he could only inquire about where rare Heaven and Earth Treasures had appeared and then prepare to explore. If the gains from plundering decreased, he would have to personally search for Opportunities. If he could find Divine Medicine, spending some time would not be a loss.
Shi Jian heard news of the nest of one of the Ten Evils, where there were divine fruits and other Opportunities. It was an advanced dungeon, and upon hearing the news, he immediately headed towards it.
Several days later, Shi Jian arrived at his destination. The leaves here were very thick, accumulated to several feet, and the forest carried a decaying scent with dense ancient trees towering to the sky. This place, a specialized Small World, was called the Nest Realm, named after the nest of the Ten Evils.
"Is this the suspected nest area of one of the Ten Evils?" Shi Jian asked the man next to him. The man, an old acquaintance named Tang Sanshao, had a fawning smile. Shi Jian had encountered him showing off on Devil Island and had severely punished him. Perhaps scared by that encounter, Tang Sanshao did not participate in the later conquest against Shi Jian, which is why he narrowly escaped with his life.
A few days ago, when Shi Jian was looking for someone to inquire about treasure locations, he casually grabbed a person, and it happened to be Tang Sanshao. "My Lord, this is just the outer area," Tang Sanshao replied fawningly. "The further you go inside, the more dangerous it becomes. Many people have died inside, no less than eighty thousand, their blood dyeing the cliffs red!"
The nest of one of the Ten Evils contained immense good fortune, driving countless people to rush here like moths to a flame. Every day, the death toll rapidly increased, but people kept coming.
Shi Jian nodded. The place was indeed dangerous, with ancient trees obscuring the sun, giant vines coiling around mountains, and dragon beasts roaring. It had a wild and ancient aura. There were also many prehistoric creatures here, such as Ancestor Evils, Sky-Devouring Snails, and Dual-Pupil Flying Birds, some with terrifyingly high realms. These were the primeval beings of the Immortal Ancient.
"My Lord, there are many gathering places of primeval creatures from the Immortal Ancient here. Those tribes possess Heaven-Defying treasures, and the lands of super ancient creatures bear rare Divine Medicines, whose value is immeasurable," Tang Sanshao explained as he led Shi Jian further inside. "Unfortunately, no one dares to go!"
"That is where the true nest is located, but no one has truly been able to set foot there..." Tang Sanshao pointed to another place, a misty area where gray mist flowed, blurring the distant scenery. The strange, enchanting aura made people uneasy.
"This forest is called the Ghost Forest. Once you step into it, the stars shift, the scenery changes, and heavy mist makes it easy for people to lose themselves..." Tang Sanshao said, a hint of pride flashing across his face. "But don't worry, My Lord, my Forbidden Net Treasure Art just happens to counter this Ghost Forest—anything with 'ghost' in its name is no match for my Forbidden Net Treasure Art!"
As he spoke, he unleashed his Forbidden Net Treasure Art, and a sacred light enveloped the forest. The ghost Qi instantly dissipated. Shi Jian raised an eyebrow, surprised that Tang Sanshao's art could counter ghosts. He followed Tang Sanshao into the forest.
The two walked for most of the day and approached the nest, which was enveloped by Chaos Qi. A hollowed-out broken mountain sat there like a volcano, surrounded by the Qi of the Great Dao. On the mountain, there were thirty-three blood-colored moons, one after another, pressing down on the peak. Besides them, there were ten blazing suns, also blood-colored, rotating out of chaos, their light incredibly brilliant.
"Ten suns appearing simultaneously, thirty-three blood moons reflecting. It is said that these were stained red by the blood of Immortals during the Immortal Ancient War!" Tang Sanshao diligently explained. "These ten suns and thirty-three blood moons were imprisoned here, confined in mid-air, specifically to illuminate the ancient nest!"
As he spoke, a rumbling sound came from the sky. Three thousand enormous stars, mostly blue, appeared. They emerged from chaos and rotated around the entire ancient land. This represented three thousand ancient Heavenly Daos. This was a grand undertaking, and the extraordinary scene indicated a powerful foundation.
The closer he got to the fierce nest, the more Shi Jian felt the surrounding Spiritual Qi thicken. There were many areas here, each with spatial rules, appearing close but actually very vast, accompanied by numerous fortunes.
Shi Jian's eyes lit up slightly. He looked at that area, and the world instantly appeared different through his Dominator's Eye. The entire area was reflected before his eyes. In one area, a Divine Fruit tree grew, exuding a sacred aura, with a single fruit that possessed divine power surpassing dozens of Saint Medicines.
In another area, the Spiritual Qi was so dense it condensed into a Spiritual Liquid lake, where Phoenix Fish with brilliant wings swam. This was a sacred item that could extend life, coveted even by Sect Master-level figures. In yet another area, ancient palaces floated on a River of Life. The sound of the Great Dao emanated from within, and runes flickered like a Holy Land.
"Not bad!" Shi Jian nodded with satisfaction. Just these miraculous areas alone were worth exploring. At least everything his Dominator's Eye saw was a divine object of considerable value.
Shi Jian saw an area with a Divine Fruit tree and started to walk towards it. However, after only a few steps, the path beneath his feet suddenly glowed, and he was uncontrollably transmitted to another area. Tang Sanshao was transmitted with him and explained the situation.
"My Lord, the ancient paths here extend on their own, guiding visiting creatures forward, but these areas are interconnected. If we search area by area, those treasures won't escape."
Shi Jian nodded upon hearing this and observed the area he was currently in. The Spiritual Qi here was very abundant. He could see many Spirit Medicines just by looking up. The trees were also incredibly tall and vibrant, and even ordinary ancient trees had been miraculously nurtured by Spiritual Qi into divine trees.
Shi Jian continued forward, feeling the extraordinary nature of this place. After walking for a while, they suddenly encountered other creatures: a dozen humanoid creatures, some with three heads and six arms, others with horns, all strangely shaped. Their cultivation was at the Divine Fire Realm, and they were a formidable force.
"Stop, hand over all your Heaven and Earth Treasures!" one with silver wings spoke casually. Clearly, Shi Jian had met colleagues; they were all robbers.
Before Shi Jian could react, Tang Sanshao excitedly stepped forward. "How dare you offend My Lord! Hurry and hand over all the Saint Medicines on you!" The group burst into laughter, not putting either of them in their eyes.
Tang Sanshao snorted. "Watch my Blue Silver Grass Entanglement!" He flicked his finger, and blue exotic grass instantly grew from the ground, coiling around them. The grass constricted them until their bones fractured and they coughed blood. The grass was also poisonous. This was the Blue Silver Grass Treasure Art, and he didn't even need to use his Forbidden Net Treasure Art against these "minor minions."
"First-generation?" The people on the ground showed expressions of terror. They never expected that Tang Sanshao, who looked like a wretched, fawning scoundrel, was actually a First-generation. He immediately took all their Saint Medicines and respectfully offered them to Shi Jian.
Shi Jian took the items and gave Tang Sanshao a strange look. Forbidden Net Treasure Art, Blue Silver Grass Entanglement? He saw the shadow of an old friend in Tang Sanshao, someone with diabetes who couldn't eat sugar. After reminiscing, Shi Jian continued to walk inside.
The further he went, the more tragic the situation became. There were many corpses of people who had died in fierce battles, dismembered and bloody. Everything on them had been completely plundered, leaving only their corpses.
Master Shi, being kind-hearted, couldn't bear to see them exposed in the wilderness, so he kindly used the Hell Furnace to collect their bodies. Karma +1. Cultivation +1. Alas, why did his cultivation also increase? Could it be a reward from the Heavenly Dao for doing something with karma?
The corpses grew more numerous. The people who entered had gone mad, fighting each other just to contend for Heaven and Earth Treasures. In just a short distance, Shi Jian encountered several groups of people. The largest group had sixty to seventy people acting together like a pack of wolves, fierce and cruel. They didn't even waste words, attacking as soon as they saw someone.
However, they were all taken down by Tang Sanshao's Blue Silver Grass Entanglement in one move. After all, Tang Sanshao was also a First-generation.
Shi Jian had originally thought of coming here to personally run a dungeon because he couldn't find any monsters to hunt outside. Who knew he would still end up doing his old job. He hadn't found any treasures himself, but the items in the plundered cosmic bags were very abundant. Upon opening them, light flowed and a fragrant medicinal scent filled the air. Various Saint Medicines were piled up inside.
However, the further they went, the more experts there were, almost all of them First-generation powerhouses. Tang Sanshao had stopped around this point before. With his trump cards like the Forbidden Net Treasure Art and the Blue Silver Grass Entanglement, and having cultivated the Invincible Golden Body Treasure Art, he could only go this far. It would have been too dangerous to go further, so he had retreated.
He just happened to encounter Shi Jian halfway, and Shi Jian brought him back. "My Lord, my Forbidden Net Treasure Art can not only target ghosts but also things like insects and Gu," Tang Sanshao said confidently. "If you take me into the nest, I will surely be of great use..."
According to the news he had gathered, there seemed to be very powerful ant-like insects inside the Nest Realm. Tang Sanshao's Forbidden Net Treasure Art specialized in countering fierce ghosts and Gu insects. It was just that with his own strength, he couldn't go deep into the nest. Once he was allowed inside, all the Gu insects would be sealed by him.
While Shi Jian was gaining huge harvests, the outside world was also experiencing turmoil. The much-anticipated Six-Crowned King Ning Chuan had emerged from seclusion! He was resplendent with divine light and radiance that stretched for miles, making him appear like an Immortal King in the world. His gaze turned towards the fierce nest.
Soon after, a figure emerged from an Immortal Cave, dressed in white like snow, untainted by worldly dust. He disappeared into the ends of the world in a few steps. The Six-Crowned King had emerged from seclusion and was heading to the fierce nest, where Shi Jian happened to be. Upon seeing this, people in the outside world were both excited and anxious, wondering if Ning Chuan could be a match for those two monstrous culprits of the Sin Blood.
In one area, a long roar also erupted. Chaos Qi coiled around the Nine Heavens, and as a man's eyes opened and closed, his Heavy Pupils were earth-shattering. Rays of divine light shot from his eyes, tearing open the Void Realm, as if recreating Heaven and Earth.
He roared to the sky, shaking all the mountains and valleys. "Heavy Pupils reappear in the world! I shall be invincible above and below the Heavens!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two figures suddenly flashed through his mind. One was a child whose milk stains hadn't even been wiped clean from his mouth. The other was a man whose back he could only look up to. "Alas... perhaps being second in the world isn't so bad?"
This person was none other than the Heavy Pupils—Shi Yi! When the battle of the two Shis concluded, he was almost killed by Shi Hao. At the critical moment, a great tribulation suddenly arrived, and a mysterious existence rescued him.
It was a Heavy Pupils like him, the undefeated myth of ancient times, the Heavy Pupils Woman. She was peerlessly graceful and dominated the world, once saying that when Heavy Pupils reached its peak, it could merge into one, or even re-evolve Heavy Pupils, achieving ultimate sublimation.
Shi Yi followed her onto a terrifying path and had now undergone a complete transformation. However, thinking of Shi Jian, he still felt uncertain. As for Shi Hao, he was confident he could challenge him again. If he couldn't contend for first place, he could still contend for second.
"The advancement was too fast, the foundation is not very stable," Shi Yi's Heavy Pupils settled down. "I still need to stabilize my cultivation for a period of time."
The opening of Immortal Ancient was too rushed. His cultivation was originally not qualified to participate. However, the Heavy Pupils Woman used some special hidden depths to send him to a place to cultivate where the flow of time was different.
That was why he was able to break through to the Venerable Realm so quickly. Although he caught up with the Opportunity of the Immortal Ancient, he was still a bit rushed in the end. His foundation was not laid firmly enough. Shi Yi wanted to solidify his foundation more before emerging from seclusion to seek Opportunities and find Shi Hao.